A distinguished Sierra Leonean based in Scotland in the United Kingdom Foday Mannah won the Mo Siewcharran writing prize in 2022, his prize being publication of the manuscript next year. Mr. Mannah, an established teacher of English in Scotland, won the auspicious award after writing a thrilling novel titled “The Search for Othella Savage.”
Few months after his emergence as winner of the Mo Siewcharran, his exciting read is now set to be published by a renowned publishing house, Quercus Books, and is available for preorder on Amazon, Waterstones etc.
A brilliant and quintessential ingenious scholar, Foday Mannah is a product of the great Bo School and a graduate of Fourah Bay College. As a teenager in Bo School, he exhibited a precocious talent for writing, constantly winning the coveted prize of Best English Language student. At Ordinary Level (O Level) Mannah got a 1 (Excellent) grade in English Language and replicated same class topping performance at Advanced Level (A Level).
His excellent school leaving certificates earned him instant enrollment at Fourah Bay College in 1992, where he was admitted at Intermediate Year to study English, History and Political Science. At FBC his efficiency at academics came to the fore again as he was recruited by the enviable Auradicals Club just after a year into his studies. It is important to note that the Auradicals Club recruits based on academic excellence, analytical positivism and social balance, and Foday Mannah amply demonstrated all those attributes. By sophomore year at FBC, Mannah had distinguished himself as an academic sphinx and was on the honours lists for all three disciplines – English, History and Political Science – though he settled on English Honours for natural reasons. Foday Mannah graduated in 1996 in English with a Second Class First Division.
After graduation, he taught for a year at The Prince of Wales Secondary School before seeking other opportunities in UK in 1997.
Foday Mannah’s book will be published next year and an online version would also be available.